Modi, Shah among BJP top brass to greet Advani on 87th birthday

NEW DELHI: BJP veteran L K Advani’s 30, Prithviraj Road residence in the capital was the calling point for the party top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday.
The top ‘margdarshak’ of the party may not be in the thick of government activities today, when BJP has finally come to power at the Centre for the first time with its own majority, but his 87th birthday was not be missed by any of the big functionaries.
Modi drove down to greet Advani around noon soon after he came back from Varanasi. The PM described him as “one of the tallest personalities in public life” with “unparalleled intellect and insight”. “Wishing Advaniji a very happy birthday. May he be blessed with long life & good health,” Modi tweeted earlier.
Home minister Rajnath Singh and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan were among the first visitors. Party chief Amit Shah, transport minister Nitin Gadkari and senior party functionaries and ministers were part of a steady stream of visitors, including friends and relatives, through the day.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who is out of the capital, called Advani in the morning to wish him.
In a post on Facebook, finance minister Arun Jaitley posted some pictures of the two together from earlier days.